Reid looked around his dressing room and sighed. Pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes, he fought to shake the weight of fatigue. He hadn’t slept more than a couple of hours for almost a week. Not since he’d said Chloe’s name in his sleep. If he didn’t sleep, he couldn’t dream. If he couldn’t dream, he wouldn’t have to worry about ever seeing the hurt on Jess’s face he’d seen that day when he’d dragged himself out of bed. He never wanted to see that again.
“Mr. Ryder, can I get you anything?”
Reid jerked his surprise, his eyes darting to the guy standing only a few feet away. Reid hadn’t even heard him come in. Taking note of his clothes, Reid relaxed when he noticed the venue’s logo printed on his shirt and the headset hanging around his neck.
“No, I’m fine.”
The guy nodded but stopped after he turned to leave. Pivoting back toward Reid, he smiled. It was a conspiratorial smile; it was trouble. “You’ve got about thirty minutes before you head out.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small object and tossed it in Reid’s lap. “Just in case you need a pick-me-up,” he said before turning on his heel and slipping out the door.
Reid couldn’t move. He couldn’t look down. He knew what was there. The featherlight bag felt like a slab of concrete in his lap. His heart pounded and his mouth went dry. He took several breaths before releasing a shaky exhale and dropping his gaze. Just as he knew there would be, a tiny plastic bag filled with instant oblivion sat like a bomb awaiting detonation.
Reid gasped and shoved the baggie into the outside pocket of his bag when his phone came to life beside him. He looked around the room, guilty and on edge as he reached for the phone. When he saw the name on the screen, he thought for sure his heart would beat its way out of his chest.
“Will?”
“What’s up, dude? Still not banging the totally bangin’ violinist?”
Reid let out a nervous laugh and pushed his clammy palm through his sweaty hair. “Are you sure you and Greer aren’t related?”
“I wish. I’d totally take his leftovers.”
“That’s fucking gross, man.”
“Hey, not all of us can have the crème de la crème of *. I’m all right with slummin’ it once in a while.”
Reid exhaled as his racing heart began to slow. “Did you have a reason for calling other than talking about *?”
Will snickered into the phone. “I have some news about your girl.”
Reid swallowed around the lump that formed in his throat at Will’s choice of words. He should have corrected Will. Told him Chloe wasn’t his girl, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to. “Oh, yeah?”
“I passed around a few tapes, emailed some footage from the shows. I’ve had a dozen calls from musicians and scouts. They can’t believe she’s not bankrolling. Dude, she’s got a lot of fucking talent. She’s also got the look everybody loves: hot, soft, and just enough badass to make even the most committed man think twice. Save for yourself, of course,” Will added with a laugh.
Reid ground his teeth together and clenched his fist. Suddenly, he wondered if Chloe moving to LA was a good idea after all. Everyone would want her, but not always for the right reasons. The thought of some asshole running a game on her made Reid want to hit something. Maybe he should consider asking her to stay on with his band. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t planned to use a violin on his next album. He didn’t even have a next album. The way things were going, he wasn’t sure if there would be a next album. But if she moved to LA, she’d be closer. She wouldn’t disappear from his life. That thought was all it took for Reid to maintain his composure. He’d worry about everything else later.
“So what’s the next step?”
“Get her ass to LA. I’ve had a couple of calls asking about her agent, but I didn’t know dick about that, so I told them I’d have to get back with them. I’ll forward you all the responses I got and you can show them to her. If she doesn’t move to LA after seeing who some of these inquiries are from, she’s not fucking serious about making it.”
“Thanks, man. I owe you. Send me the info and I’ll get it to her. And don’t worry, you didn’t waste your time. She wants it. I know she does.”
Reid hung up and tossed his phone back on the vanity. He checked the time, and with a low curse, jumped to his feet. It was show time. He’d wait until tomorrow to tell Chloe the good news and hope it was enough to convince her to move.
“Chloe.”
Chloe blinked and lifted her head. When she was met with silence, she dropped her head back to the pillow and closed her eyes. Now she was hearing his voice in her sleep. With a heavy sigh, she rolled to her side and pulled the blanket over her head.
“Chloe, get up.”
More alert this time, she snatched back the curtain, her eyes widening when she realized she was nearly nose-to-nose with Reid. Although the light was dim, she couldn’t help but notice how excited he seemed.
“Oh good, you’re awake.”
Chloe sat up on her elbow and propped her head in her hand. “You know,” she drawled. “I really hope you don’t plan to make a habit out of waking me at ungodly hours. I’ve been known to bite.”
Reid laughed and tugged her hand. “C’mere. I want to tell you something.”